On July 13, Israel successfully launched its most technologically advanced communications satellite, Dror-1, aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
Developed by Israel Aerospace Industries, the satellite is intended to provide long-term communications capabilities for civilian and security use.
IAI CEO Boaz Levy called the launch “a special event for the State of Israel,” and Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology Gila Gamliel called the new satellite a “historic milestone,” and a “technological breakthrough.”
“One of the critical goals of the new satellite was to ensure that Israel could move forward with such a project by itself. To develop the technology with Israeli innovations and to be as independent as possible,” a spokesperson for the Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology told JNS. “Communications independence is critical for Israel, and Dror-1 is a big part of that story.”
That model unraveled in September 2016, when the Amos-6 satellite was destroyed in a launch pad explosion at Cape Canaveral during a routine pre-flight test of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
Two days before launch, with the satellite already secure in its capsule atop the Falcon 9 rocket, a malfunction during rocket refueling turned the $200 million Amos-6 into a pile of ash.
This development, one year after the IAI-supporting company Spacecom lost contact with the Amos-5 satellite due to an unforeseen communication error, led to the suspension of the pending acquisition of Spacecom by China’s Xinwei Group. It also led to the cancellation of a planned partnership with Facebook to provide internet access to parts of Africa.
The failure exposed a gap in Israel’s strategic preparedness. With no alternative satellite in place and a growing reliance on commercial infrastructure, there was no immediate replacement for critical communications capabilities.
Spacecom responded by leasing Amos-7 from AsiaSat and later contracted Boeing to build Amos-17, further increasing reliance on foreign manufacturing. The series of setbacks underscored Israel’s vulnerability and led to growing calls within the government to reevaluate the country’s satellite communications strategy.
The aftermath of failure
In the aftermath of the Amos-6 failure, the Israeli government launched a formal review of its civilian space policy. A committee led by then–Director General of the Ministry of Science Peretz Vazan, was tasked with examining the long-term viability of the country’s satellite communications capabilities.
One of the committee’s key conclusions was that continued reliance on private firms and foreign manufacturing posed a significant risk to national security and emergency preparedness. The report recommended that Israel invest in an indigenous satellite program to guarantee uninterrupted access to secure communications in times of crisis.
Acting on this recommendation, the government announced in 2018 that it would commission a communications satellite to be developed entirely by Israel Aerospace Industries. This marked the beginning of the Dror program, envisioned as a long-term strategic initiative to restore Israeli control over satellite infrastructure and reduce Israel’s exposure to external dependencies.
The development of Dror-1 was formally initiated in 2018 with a government work order to IAI, backed by approximately $200 million in public funding.
The project was coordinated by the Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology and the Israel Space Agency, which also oversaw the development of key system components, including a dedicated satellite computer built between 2017 and 2022 at a cost of nearly 30 million shekels. More than 500 employees were contracted to work on the project.
While the design phase advanced steadily, physical construction of the satellite faced delays. Global supply chain disruptions and travel restrictions during the Covid-19 pandemic slowed work in 2020, while regional events, including the IDF’s “Operation Guardian of the Walls” in 2021 and the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks in 2023, interrupted engineering schedules.
Despite these obstacles, IAI proceeded with testing, including a vacuum simulation conducted in Munich, and completed the satellite’s assembly in time for its transfer to Cape Canaveral in mid-2025, several months before the launch date.
“The development of Dror-1 had a lot of ups, downs and complications. I’m not sure when a major space project had so many external disruptions, due to the war and Covid,” an IAI employee involved in the Dror-1project told JNS. “Overall, it was an incredible journey and a real demonstration of determination that despite all the issues, the teams just kept pushing forward until we got to the finish line.”
The traumatic memories of the Amos-6 explosion led to a tense weekend leading up to the launch, with most IAI executives choosing not to comment on the upcoming mission because, as one employee put it, “no one wants to cast an evil eye.”
Levy, who was the head of IAI’s Missile and Space Division during the Amos-6 Launch, said he hoped that “a corrective experience could be achieved.”
Operational for up to 15 years
Dror-1 was launched at 8:03 a.m. Israel time. The launch vehicle used a booster stage that had already been used in more than 10 missions, and successfully landed on a drone ship following separation.
Within minutes of liftoff, the satellite’s payload fairing (protective nose cone) was jettisoned, and initial signals were received from orbit, confirming successful deployment.
The satellite then initiated a series of post-launch procedures, including the unfolding of its twin antennas and solar panels spanning approximately 17.8 meters, or 58.4 feet.
Over the following two weeks, Dror-1 is expected to gradually raise its orbit using onboard thrusters to reach its final geostationary position, reportedly near 4° west longitude, where it will remain fixed relative to the Earth’s surface. IAI engineers are conducting an on-orbit testing campaign to verify the performance of the satellite’s communications payload and systems before it enters full operational service.
Dror-1 is a geostationary communications satellite designed to operate at an altitude of approximately 36,000 kilometers (some 22,400 miles), with a planned operational lifespan of up to 15 years. Weighing around 4.5 tons, the satellite is equipped with Israel’s largest communications antennas to date, each measuring 2.8 meters (almost 9.2 feet) in diameter. It includes a fully digital payload developed in-house by IAI, which incorporates reconfigurable communications systems intended to provide greater operational flexibility.
The platform supports secure data transmission for civilian and defense users and is described by officials as having “smartphone-in-space” capabilities due to its adaptable digital architecture. The satellite also includes 70 onboard video cameras and is constructed with approximately 28,000 mechanical fasteners. According to IAI, these features are intended to ensure long-term reliability and adaptability in a range of operational scenarios.
IAI has not disclosed the satellite’s exact orbital location or whether it will replace either of Israel’s aging Amos-2 or Amos-3 satellites.
Leaders in the field hailed Dror-1 as expanding the frontier of Israeli science and once again proving that the Jewish state is a leader of technological innovation.
“The launch of Dror 1 is a real national technological achievement and expresses Israeli scientific excellence and innovation. The satellite … strengthens Israel’s position as a global technological powerhouse,” Gamliel said.
Brig. Gen. (res.) Uri Oron, director of the Israel Space Agency, called Dror-1 an “expression of Israeli excellence and proof that Israel continues to lead at the forefront of global technology.”
Omer Shechter, director general of the Innovation Ministry, added that in his view, the launch of Dror-1 “demonstrates our ability to lead complex, multi-partner projects that strengthen Israel’s status as a global innovation powerhouse.”
Power in space
Beyond the expansion of science and international prestige, sector leaders also explained that the project led to a critical expansion in Israel’s technological and communications independence.
Dror-1 “reflects our commitment to preserving Israel’s strategic autonomy in space-based communications,” Levy explained.
Oron expanded on this point, saying, “Dror 1 symbolizes a new era of independence and Israeli technological power in space. As I have emphasized in the past, we must look at space as a national resource from a national perspective. Today, we are realizing this vision.”
He added that “the satellite will strengthen Israel’s international standing in the field of space and will guarantee us independent and advanced communications capabilities for decades to come.”
Dror-1 is only the first step in a broader state-backed initiative. The Israeli government has outlined plans for a full Dror series of 10 satellites, with one to be launched approximately every five years.
While discussions around Dror-2 have not yet begun, the long-term objective is to maintain a continuous, domestically produced infrastructure capable of meeting Israel’s evolving civilian and governmental communications needs.
In parallel, the Ministry of Defense is pursuing the development of nanosatellite constellations for intelligence and surveillance. These small, maneuverable satellites, operating in coordinated swarms, are intended to provide persistent, high-resolution coverage over areas of interest and enable more flexible data-gathering operations.
Unlike geostationary platforms such as Dror-1, which remain fixed over a single point, nanosatellites would orbit at lower altitudes and revisit target regions at high frequency. Together, these complementary tracks signal a dual-use strategy aimed at expanding communications capacity and tactical intelligence capabilities through independent space-based assets.
While Israel’s space ambitions remain high, serious challenges threaten their realization. IAI currently produces only one communications satellite every four to five years, a pace far behind industry leaders such as Boeing, which can manufacture up to six annually.
This slow production rate, coupled with high costs, has made it difficult for IAI to stay competitive in the fast-moving global communications market. Without new contracts, the company faces the risk of losing the specialized workforce needed to maintain and advance its satellite-building capabilities, casting doubt on its long-term role in this sector.
JNS Article by Shimon Sherman @ https://www.jns.org/dror-1-satellite-signals-shift-toward-home-cooking-in-israels-space-strategy/#:~:text=On%20July%2013%2C%20Israel%20successfully,Space%20Force%20Station%20in%20Florida.
